How To Pott Crawfish

This recipe comes from Lady Craven's receipt book, compiled in England between 1702 and 1704. At this time, 'potting' was a common preservation technique: sealing cooked foods under butter to exclude air, extending their shelf life in the days before refrigeration. Crawfish, also known as crayfish, were a delicacy found in English rivers and ponds, popular among the aristocracy for feasting and entertaining. Lady Craven’s manuscript is a snapshot of early 18th-century English culinary practice, heavy with French influences and reliant on seasonal, local produce. Recipes often traveled through social circles, each attribution a reflection of networks of women exchanging culinary secrets.

In the early 1700s, the kitchen would have featured a large iron cauldron or copper pot suspended over an open hearth for boiling the crawfish. Long-handled wooden spoons or ladles were used for stirring. The crawfish meat was mashed with a wooden pestle or spoon over hot coals, using heatproof bowls—often stoneware or earthenware. Finished mixtures were packed into ceramic pots or glass jars, covered in melted butter from a small metal saucepan, and set aside to cool in a larder or cool part of the house. No refrigeration was available, so airtight butter seals were the only way to keep potted meats safe for weeks or even months.